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Delish Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Delish Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Soft, cake-like pumpkin cookies loaded with warm spices and finished with a silky, brown-sugar caramel frosting. A cozy fall treat that melts in your mouth.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients
 

Main Ingredients

  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.125 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 0.5 cup chopped pecans optional

Caramel Frosting

  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 0.25 cup heavy cream plus more as needed to thin
  • 2 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

Preparation Steps

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until smooth. Scrape the bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just until combined.
  • Fold in chopped pecans if using. The dough will be soft and sticky.
  • Scoop dough in 1.5 tbsp portions onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Lightly smooth tops with damp fingertips if desired.
  • Bake 11 to 13 minutes until set and the tops spring back lightly. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Make the caramel frosting: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with brown sugar. Bring to a gentle bubble and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in heavy cream and simmer 1 minute until smooth. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes until warm but not hot.
  • Whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until thick and creamy. If too thick, add 0.5 to 1.0 tbsp cream; if too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
  • Spread frosting over cooled cookies. Let set 20 minutes before serving.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Notes

For extra caramel flavor, brown the butter for the frosting before adding brown sugar. These cookies are naturally cake-like; for a chewier texture, reduce pumpkin puree to 0.75 cup and add 2.0 tbsp cornstarch to the dry mix.